Bells
Staff member
At the end of February of this year, a small Pentecostal Church and members of its congregation decided to perform an exorcism on a 2 year old boy.
Araceli Meza, the head of the small Church, touts herself as a prophet, who could speak directly to God.
The Church is run out of her home. The authorities did not even know it even existed until this case came to light.
Meza had something special planned for the little boy. She planned to resurrect him.
The child was a US citizen.
If that is not disturbing enough, it seems that what Meza and the others involved in this sad story did not commit murder.
In short, it was a charge of abuse to a child. In this case, it led to death. This was a deliberate act of withholding food for 25 days, until the child died. At no time did they report the death to the authorities. Instead, the body was taken out of the country and buried in the hope that the authorities would not be able to conduct an autopsy.
Yet a woman can miscarry a child and be charged with murder.
Go figure.
Actively setting out to starve a child to death in the name of Jesus is not murder, but miscarrying a baby is.
Police say the pastors at a Balch Springs church starved a 2-year-old boy they said was possessed by a demon, and later held a ceremony to resurrect the boy.
Several people told police the boy was given water four to five times a day, but no food for 25 days before he died on March 22. A church member tried to feed the boy, but the pastors scolded her and forbade her from doing so, according to court records.
Several people told police the boy was given water four to five times a day, but no food for 25 days before he died on March 22. A church member tried to feed the boy, but the pastors scolded her and forbade her from doing so, according to court records.
Araceli Meza, the head of the small Church, touts herself as a prophet, who could speak directly to God.
The Church is run out of her home. The authorities did not even know it even existed until this case came to light.
Meza had something special planned for the little boy. She planned to resurrect him.
The morning of March 22, police said, Meza and three other people — listed as suspects in court records — held a ceremony to revive the boy.
A video of the ceremony shows Meza reciting prayers while holding the boy, whom she refers to as Benjamin, in her arms.
“In the name of Jesus, I’m utilizing this oil to try to get him back to life,” she explains in Spanish.
After applying oil to his head, she says it’s time for him to wake up, “right now.”
Meza later told police she believed that was the day God was going to wake up the boy, court records say.
The next morning, Meza, the boy’s parents and other church members took the boy to Mexico for burial.
A video of the ceremony shows Meza reciting prayers while holding the boy, whom she refers to as Benjamin, in her arms.
“In the name of Jesus, I’m utilizing this oil to try to get him back to life,” she explains in Spanish.
After applying oil to his head, she says it’s time for him to wake up, “right now.”
Meza later told police she believed that was the day God was going to wake up the boy, court records say.
The next morning, Meza, the boy’s parents and other church members took the boy to Mexico for burial.
The child was a US citizen.
If that is not disturbing enough, it seems that what Meza and the others involved in this sad story did not commit murder.
Araceli Meza, 49, was arrested Monday and charged with injury to a child causing serious bodily injury by omission.
In short, it was a charge of abuse to a child. In this case, it led to death. This was a deliberate act of withholding food for 25 days, until the child died. At no time did they report the death to the authorities. Instead, the body was taken out of the country and buried in the hope that the authorities would not be able to conduct an autopsy.
Yet a woman can miscarry a child and be charged with murder.
Go figure.
Actively setting out to starve a child to death in the name of Jesus is not murder, but miscarrying a baby is.